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Sunday, June 6, 2010

Fresh Vegetable Curry

We love curries around here. Our children have had the opportunity to enjoy a variety of curried dishes from a young age. Their taste buds know the flavors well. We made this recipe for dinner tonight and there was very little conversation during mealtime. A sign of a good meal.

We've been very busy lately with our garden projects. I'll post photos to our blog soon! I also recently took a solo trip for six days to Breitenbush Hot Springs and the Oregon Coast. Lovely to get away and relax for a while!

When making a stovetop vegetable stew, it is important to cut your vegetables into certain sizes and know how long each takes to cook. It is not very appetizing to have crunchy potatoes and over-cooked cauliflower! For example, potatoes and carrots take quite a while to cook so I always add them in the beginning. Green beans take a moderate amount of time, and cauliflower cooks up quite fast. Think about the size you cut your vegetables. If you dice the potatoes too small they may become very mushy by the time everything else is done. If they are too large, they won't ever cook thoroughly. Cooking is a dance with your ingredients.

A word on spices: make sure yours are fresh! Old spices lack flavor and are often bitter. they can drastically change the outcome of your finished dish. If they are older than 6 months it is best to compost them and start with fresh spices. You'll love the difference.

Fresh Vegetable Curry

This delectable curry is vegan. I have added cooked chickpeas to this recipe but I imagine it could easily be made with chunks of salmon or halibut, or even some sauteed chicken breast pieces. Try any vegetable you have on hand. I often make this with diced sweet potatoes or squash in Autumn. Chopped fresh spinach would be another fantastic addition; just toss it in when you take the pan off the stove. It will cook very fast! Serve over cooked long grain brown rice or quinoa.

2 to 3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

2 to 3 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger

4 medium red potatoes, cut into cubes

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

2 teaspoons curry powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

dash cayenne pepper (optional)

1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons Herbamare or sea salt

6 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 cup water

1 tablespoon arrowroot powder

1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into pieces

3/4 pound cauliflower, cut into florets

1/2 pound mushrooms, cut in half

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 cups cooked chickpeas or 1 can

chopped cilantro for garnish

Heat a large skillet (I use an 11-inch) over medium to medium-high heat for a few minutes to let the pan heat up. Add the coconut oil, then the mustard seeds and ginger. Saute for about 30 seconds (you should hear the mustards seeds popping). Then add the potatoes and carrots. Saute for about 10 to 15 minutes, keeping the heat moderate so they don't start browning too much or sticking. Then add the spices and Herbamare. Stir well and saute for about a minute more. Sautéing the spices in oil is key to a good curry!

Next add the diced tomatoes. Saute for 2 minutes while stirring. Mix the cup of water with the arrowroot in a small bowl. I use a fork to whisk it together. Add this mixture to the cooking veggies.

Thanks to everyone who left a comment on my Garlic-Rosemary White Bean Dip post. I asked for recipe ideas using a few ingredients. I do have a few new recipes to share. Now it is just a matter of making the recipes again to take some photos! It may take me some time. Thanks for your patience! :)

About the Author

Alissa Segersten holds a Bachelor's of Science in Nutrition from Bastyr University. She is the founder of Whole Life Nutrition, the mother of five children, a whole foods cooking instructor, professional recipe developer, and cookbook author. She is passionate about helping others find a diet that will truly nourish them, and offers elimination diet recipes, healthy gluten-free recipes, paleo and vegan recipes, as well as tips for feeding your family a nourishing, whole foods diet. Alissa is the author of two very popular gluten-free, whole foods cookbooks and guidebooks: The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook and Nourishing Meals. She is also the co-author of The Elimination Diet book. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram!

This looks wonderful Ali! I totally agree with you about using fresh spices. I discovered the difference once I started buying spices from a small, local ethnic grocer that carries bulk spices. When you smell the fresher spices, you realize the difference in the freshness.

Hey, just wanted to give a little hint: If you have some curry that seems to have lost it's umph, try putting it to the mortar and pestle to give it some new life!Sometimes I take a "current" curry powder mix and just toss in a few coriander seeds and peppercorns (etc.) and grind the mixture together first before adding to the dish. Seems to wake it up!

This looks delicious. What curry blend do you use? Or, even better perhaps, do you have a suggestion for what ratio's tp make a good one....I haven't ground up with curry...but I think I would like it...but they all seem to have sugar--the "curry" in the store. Thanks! Ari

We had this for dinner a few nights ago and it was great! I didn't have any curry powder, but had all of the other spices, so I just added a little extra of each of them and it came out good. I might make it a little spicier next time and I'll have to try adding chicken or beef. The leftovers were good a couple of days later, too!

I just wanted to share that I made this recipe recently and it was great! I used asparagus instead of green beans which turned out pretty good. I took pictures of the curry and posted it on my blog because it is a very photogenic curry! http://fivebunnies.blogspot.com/2010/06/curried-vegetables.html

Welcome to my blog!

Hi! My name is Alissa Segersten and I've had a love of healthy food and cooking since the age of 10. When I was pregnant with my first daughter in 2001, I diligently began writing down my recipes because so many people would ask for them! Some of these recipes appeared in my first book, The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook. I now have 5 children and am passionate about educating them about our food system so they can make the most informed choices as they grow up and are exposed to a world of processed, chemical-laden foods. Join me in my mission of helping to support families with nourishing meals!